Lyft’s chief executive officer, David Risher, is a leader who aligns himself with a unique personal symbol—his so-called spirit animal, the falcon. Now entering his third year at the helm of the ride-hailing company, Risher has guided Lyft through a period of notable recovery and reinvention, overseeing a strategic turnaround that has strengthened the company’s performance. In a recent conversation on Nilay Patel’s “Decoder” podcast by The Verge, Risher revealed one of the essential philosophies behind his leadership success: a willingness to leave the comfort and abstraction of the corporate boardroom and immerse himself in the intricate realities of how Lyft operates day to day.
Rather than remaining confined to the upper echelons of the executive suite, Risher described being fully prepared to get involved in the micro-level mechanisms that sustain the business. This involvement could mean anything from casting a decisive tie-breaking vote on an issue with far-reaching consequences to rigorously questioning teams about the step-by-step execution plan for a new product launch. The method, as he explained to Patel, has its own name—one that both captures the agility and focus of his engagement and serves as a metaphor for his management philosophy. He calls it “Falcon Mode.”
Expanding on the metaphor, Risher observed that falcons are remarkable creatures, capable of maintaining extraordinary awareness even from altitudes of nearly two thousand feet. From such heights, they can still identify their next source of nourishment—a testament to their sharp vision and strategic patience. Yet, he continued, the falcon’s survival depends on its ability to act decisively. Once it locates its target, it must plunge rapidly from the sky to seize it; hesitation could mean losing a meal and risking starvation. Risher used this natural rhythm of soaring observation followed by exacting descent as an illustration of executive life. The perpetual cycle of ascending to view the broader corporate landscape and then diving down into the operational specifics, he explained, represents the dynamic reality in which every CEO must function.
At Lyft, Risher’s “Falcon Mode” approach manifests in his direct dialogues with employees across various levels of the organization. He often initiates detailed discussions about specific features, product designs, or policy changes with staff far below him on the corporate hierarchy. In these moments, he warns them, “I’m about to go Falcon Mode on you,” signaling his intention to scrutinize the topic in exacting, sometimes “excruciating,” detail. However, Risher’s goal is not control—it is empowerment. After diving into the details, he deliberately steps back, giving the team full ownership of their work. “Now it’s yours,” he often says, inviting them to refine, challenge, and correct the direction he set: “You’re going to tell me all the ways where I got it wrong.”
That philosophy of blending oversight with trust also surfaces in Risher’s 2024 letter to Lyft shareholders. There, he emphasized his ongoing commitment to “adding value by swooping down into the details,” whenever such engagement fosters improvement or innovation. His leadership, he insisted, relies on this constant oscillation between vision and execution—a pattern as deliberate as the flight path of his chosen avian analogue.
For example, Risher regularly spends time behind the wheel as a Lyft driver, an experience he undertakes approximately every six weeks. This immersive practice gives him direct exposure to the company’s core operation and the perspectives of both drivers and riders. On one such occasion, a conversation with a passenger proved pivotal. When the rider explained that fluctuations in ride prices influenced her decision about whether to commute to her office or work remotely, Risher recognized an opportunity to refine Lyft’s pricing model. His subsequent push for adjustments to the company’s Prime Time pricing and the introduction of the Price Lock feature emerged directly from that conversation—a demonstration, as he proudly noted, of Falcon Mode in action.
Reflecting on this process in his letter, Risher wrote that few leadership models better represent the essential balance between maintaining an expansive strategic view and plunging deeply into operational intricacies than the falcon itself. The metaphor, he argued, encapsulates the dual obligation of leadership: to oversee the whole while fully understanding the parts.
On the “Decoder” podcast, Risher also dispelled a common misconception among some modern executives—that a CEO can effectively guide a company’s direction while remaining detached from its inner workings. He dismissed such thinking bluntly, calling it “bullshit.” For Risher, running a company is an act of continuous engagement, one that requires constant attention to both overarching goals and granular realities. As he put it, true leadership demands not passive supervision but active participation: a readiness to both fly high and swoop down when the situation demands. For him, that balance—the subtle art of alternating altitude—is what it means to lead in Falcon Mode.
If you have experiences or insights from working with Lyft that reflect this leadership philosophy, you can contact the reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-ceo-falcon-mode-management-style-ride-hailing-company-2025-11
